1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to searching a phone number in an information processing apparatus, and more particularly, to methods, which is capable of searching information associated with information selected by a user during the user searches a phone number, searching a phone book, and portable devices and information processing apparatuses that have a phone-book search function.
2. Discussion of Related Art
In general, portable devices, such as mobile communication devices and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), have a phone book function for enabling a user to register frequently used phone numbers and search a required one of the registered phone numbers.
The phone book is one of additional functions of portable devices. The phone book allows a user to register phone numbers; and names, abbreviated numbers, and the like corresponding to the phone number, and to enable a communication through the portable device by simply inputting the abbreviated number or by searching for a desired phone number to press a ‘call’ button, instead of inputting each number of the phone number.
With the recent advent of high-performance processors and high-capacity memories for portable devices, the number of phone numbers registered in the phone book and the type of information associated with the phone numbers are increasing.
However, as the number of phone numbers and the amount of the associated information registered in the phone book increase, it becomes difficult for the user to search for a desired phone number or information associated with the desired phone number, and time required for the search increases.
FIG. 1 illustrates a user interface screen for search of a phone book in a conventional portable device.
Referring to FIG. 1, in the conventional portable device, when a phone book function is selected by a user, an initial screen 10 for menus of the phone book is displayed.
The initial user interface screen 10 for the phone book menus includes menu items, such as Full View 11, Search Phone Number 12, Register Phone Number 13, Manage Abbreviated Number 14, and Edit Group 15. When the user selects Full View 10 among the menu items of the initial user interface screen 10, a plurality of phone numbers registered in the phone book are aligned and displayed in an order of names corresponding to the phone numbers.
When the user selects Search Phone Number 12 on the initial user interface screen 10 for phone book menus, a sub menu 20 for Search Phone Number is displayed. The sub menu 20 for Search Phone Number may include menus such as Search Name 21, Search Number 22, and Search Group 23. When the user selects Search Number 22, a user interface screen 30, on which the user inputs a desired phone number to be searched, is displayed.
As described above, in the conventional portable device, the phone numbers registered in the phone book are all aligned and displayed in the order of names, or the name, the number or the group is input for search by a user. This requires a user to inconveniently confirm the phone numbers aligned and displayed in the order of names, one by one, to select a desired phone number, or to enter a phone number to be searched or a name associated with the phone number. Disadvantageously, in the phone book function of the conventional portable device, only information registered in the phone book is searched and passively displayed irrespective of a user's call pattern, and accordingly, even when similar information is searched, the same search process should be repeatedly performed.
Meanwhile, a method for searching a phone book field in a mobile phone is disclosed in Korean Patent No. 608770 entitled “Method For Display By Searching Phone Book Field In Mobile Phone”, in which when a selection cursor (or bar) is located on an item corresponding to a phone book field while a user reads a content of an e-mail received by a mobile phone, overall stored phone book information associated with the selected item is displayed on a user interface screen. According to Korean Patent No. 608770, the overall stored associated phone book information is collectively displayed on the user interface screen irrespective of a user's call pattern. Thus, Korean Patent No. 608770 cannot provide intelligent search of desired information associated with the selected item.